Features

Learning & Development: National Strategies series - part 11 - Challenging times

In this the eleventh National Strategies feature on the Early Years Foundation Stage, Kim Porter, senior adviser at Every Child a Talker, and early years regional advisers Jonathan Doherty and Kairen Smith, reflect on the nature and challenges of risk taking and being brave.

The EYFS requires settings to keep children safe from harm. As young children develop, they gradually learn about taking responsibility for their own safety. To do this, and to be successful learners, they need to be able to take risks within the safe environment of the setting. Successful learners are brave about trying things when they know they will be encouraged to learn from mistakes. The dilemma for many practitioners is knowing when to let children have freedom and when to protect them.

In this article, we will:

- reflect on what it means to be brave and take risks

- seek to promote a professional dialogue within your setting to consider the terms 'brave' and 'risk taking' in the context of the EYFS.

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